A Little Revenge with MonaLiza and Steve

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
April 11, 2016

I have done many posts on the Hell's Revenge 4-Wheel Drive Trail, but today's adventure was made extra special by having MonaLiza and Steve (lowestravels.com) join us.  I will never forget the first time Joe and I drove Pearl there and all the adventures we have had  since on this awesome, iconic Moab trail.  We joined our friends Dee, Mike and Melina  and the Havasu 4-Wheelers.  Dee and Mike both had buggies while the rest of us had an assortment of jeeps.

Mike leads the way...

 Our first stop of the day was the River Overlook.  Of course the Colorado River and Hwy 128 are not all you can see.  The large vistas sweep full circle from the river to Arches NP to the La Sal Mountains to Moab Rim (the cliffs that overlook Moab).

Steve and MonaLiza take in the view.

   
The first obstacle of the day was Hell's Gate.  MonaLiza and Steve enjoyed a nice climb up the Gate with Dee.  Dee's buggy Wild Thing is at the back of the line.

about half way up...

Wahoo!

We all gathered around The Hot Tub for lunch with a view after that.

Before we left, the buggies took a dip in The Hot Tub.
Going in...

coming out.

Near the end of this 6.5 mile trail is Escalator.  Pictures don't quite show the difficulty of this two in one obstacle,

 but Steve's reaction does show the thrill of the ride!

What a great day we had.  A huge thank you to Dee and Mike.  

Until next time, happy days...

  happy trails !

When we got home, the sun was setting behind Poison Spider Mesa.  

I went inside to let the pups out.  Jack has to stay in a crate which we call his man cave. When he ran out I noticed he had his baby standing up in the back of the crate covered with his blankie.  Since that day, we have found it that way twice.  

 How sweet is that?

Jackson Hole

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
April 10, 2016

Sunday dawned with excitement as Joe and I got ready for our first 4X4 trail of the year.  Moab Friends For Wheelin' had Jackson Hole (a new to us trail) on the calendar.  MFFW is an awesome group of people and we are so fortunate to be apart of this club.  

There were 12 rigs total...a nice group of Samurais, jeeps and a Toyota Buggy. 

 It was so much fun seeing everyone and when we stopped we all jumped out of our rig and picked up the conversation right where it left off from the stop before.

Jackson Hole has a moderate trail rating due to some small ledges and rough spots.  It heads north and west of Hurrah Pass and loops around Jackson Butte.

It's always a beautiful sight to stop and take in the view at Hurrah pass.  

We could barely see Jackson Hole trail from Hurrah Pass...it is in the lower right side quadrant of the photo.  

  It was a gorgeous day with warm sunshine, blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Round trip was about 50 miles which includes the 12 miles for the Jackson Hole loop. 

The picture below shows Jackson Butte in the center.  Jackson Butte stands in the middle of Jackson Hole...an abandoned meander of the Colorado river.  The trail loops around the butte.  The high rocky cliff that curves around behind Jackson Butte is the Cliffhanger 4X4 trail and biking/hiking trails. 

  

Our lunch stop was a great area to explore.  There are a lot of river rocks and petrified wood covered in manganese... so shiny and black.    
 The hill behind the rigs was covered in these beautiful tiny pale lavender flowers and. 

This is the fourth year Joe and I have spent several months in Moab.  There is a definite draw for us to visit this scenic paradise.  Whether it's hiking or wheeling,  there is a wow around every turn. 





 Until next time, happy days and...

    happy trails!